Wednesday, August 10, 2016

I was compensated for my post on Groupon. All opinions and ideas remain 100% my own.

Summer is almost over....or is it?! If you're like most Moms, it feels, as it always does, that summer has flown by. But I paused for a moment the other day and tried to get that mindset out of my head. There was still a lot of summer left (after all, August is one of the longest months of the year!) And even when school begins again in September, you still want to make sure your kids are keeping up an active, healthy lifestyle.

But that can be hard. It's fun to have activities you can do as a family....or they can do by themselves....on the weekends or a warm, summer day to stay active. That's where Groupon comes in. As a budget-conscious family, I am constantly on the lookout for good deals for activities that my family loves to do. So, I recently went to Groupon to see what might pop up.

I didn't have to look far for my first great deal. I have taken my kids to G6 Airpark before, but as is the case with most trampoline parks, they can get expensive. I found passes for each child for just $8 for two hours of jump time. Pack a picnic lunch to enjoy afterwards and you've got a perfect play day.

My kids LOVE shaved ice in the summer. Not snow cones, but true shaved ice. It's hard to find sometimes, not to mention each one can be $5+. I found a great Groupon that reduced each to a little over $3. It's a day trip into Portland, so we'll add on a fun visit to a splash pad or playground.

The last great deal I found on Groupon was for miniature golf. But this wasn't the kind of miniature golf at an amusement park or playground. This was on an actual golf course! I scored a round of golf for up to 4 people for just $12. My ten year old son, who loves to play, is going to love playing on a golf course for the "big kids".

I cannot wait to take in some of these last few summer activities!

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Wednesday, May 18, 2016

I was compensated to share this post. All opinions remain 100% my own.

I love Groupon! Here's the crazy part.....I have never used it. I know, crazy, right?! With three young kids who like a variety of activities, you would think it would be a natural fit. And I want it to be. I have the app. I get notifications and emails on all the deals. But I never followed through on a deal.

Until now. I did not have any idea the versatility that you had with searching for coupon offers from your favorite companies. Groupon not only has those exclusive, limited time offering that you know and love; they also have a list of their preferred vendors that are offering many offers and coupons that don't require the purchase of a package. Here's a sampling of the amazing companies that are part of Groupon Coupons (you can click on each company for the latest deals):

What is also great about these coupon deals through Groupon is that they aren't your run-of-the-mill offers that you see on multiple sites; many are exclusive to Groupon. It's super easy to search for what you are looking for on their website.

What are your favorite ways to save?

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Tuesday, March 8, 2016

You hear people say it often...."I want my kids to like me....". Well, the obvious answer to this is "yes", of course you want your children to like you. But then they freak out, they spill their milk, they write on the wall, they do something crazy that makes you INSANE. You, as a parent, are put in a position to discipline, reprimand, instruct. Sometimes this is an easy process, sometimes not.

If your kids listen and respond quickly, great; guidance given and you move on. But we all know in reality that happens about 2% of the time. The other 98% involves varying levels of loudness and tone in your voice, intensifying levels of you pulling your hair, all possibly leading to you, as a parent, losing it.

If you're a parent, ANY parent, you've been there, done that. We raise our voices, we yell, we stomp our feet. Well, this was me recently with my youngest son, age 7. He's a boy, he has an older brother, and they often end in knock down throw downs or some other sort of mischief. They are boys. I get that. But sometimes it is taken too far and intervention is necessary.

I had to resort to raising my voice recently. It's not that I wanted to, in my heart of hearts I felt I needed to. And then my youngest, my sweet boy who still snuggles with me every night (not all night mind you, just a few hours) uttered these words--you're mean. I hated hearing it. You're mean. It wasn't like him at all. He is constantly giving me hugs and is polite and says "thank you" for everything. But in this moment, he even stormed off for a bit. I wasn't feeling guilty, yet I still felt off.

And that feeling has stuck with me the two months or so it has taken me to write this post. I was compelled to finish this post tonight. One thing I have learned as a parent is that kids thrive on structure---whether that is sleeping in the same bed every night, sticking to a schedule, or having boundaries, structure is healthy. So, I viewed this reprimanding as part of that structure. Although my son stormed off and we might have both hated that moment in time, we are better for it now.

How do I know? He still comes in and snuggles every night and tells me how much he loves me.

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